Highlights
- Judas introduces unique narrative LEGO design mechanics, making players the "driver of every event" in the story.
- Scutty, a robotic dog companion in Judas, serves as a fast-travel tool and hints at the extensive world in the game.
- Scutty's massive size suggests players will have big locations to explore within Judas.
Judas is the upcoming title by Ken Levine and his studio Ghost Story Games, and despite some visual similarities it bears to his critically acclaimed FPS title BioShock, it already appears to be going against his own grain in a variety of ways. Judas puts players into the shoes of Judas aboard the spacefaring, machine-dominated city of Mayflower, where she must uncover the mystery behind her death and why everyone on board the Mayflower seems to have it out for her. As a first for Levine, Judas features "narrative LEGO" design mechanics in which players can essentially be the "driver of every event" in the story. However, that may not be the only distinct feature about Judas, as the appearance of another character suggests a world unlike any the developer has created before.
Judas will undoubtedly be full of eccentric and charismatic characters, as Levine is known for creating such characters to drive his narratives forward. Of the confirmed characters so far are the three leaders of the Mayflower — Tom, Nefertiti, and Hope — each of whom wants something different and is more than willing to use Judas to get what they want. One other rather adorable character, Scutty the robotic dog, has also been confirmed, but his relationship with Judas goes far beyond "man’s best friend," as he will double as a valuable traversal tool that simultaneously implies something about the size of Judas' world.
Why Judas Having Its Own 'Would You Kindly" Moment Is Very Likely
Judas creator Ken Levine is likely bent on making sure the game has a massive plot twist akin to BioShock's famous "Would you kindly" moment.
Scutty's Size and Purpose Suggests Big Things for Judas' World
Scutty Is an Adorable Robotic Dog Companion Who Doubles as a Fast-Travel Tool
While the full extent of how Scutty will function in Judas has yet to be revealed, it has been confirmed that he will be used as a fast-travel tool of sorts that will take players from district to district on board the spacefaring city of Mayflower. Judging by what has been shown so far, players may be able to pilot Scutty between districts, but that remains to be seen. In the same footage, Judas can be seen boarding Scutty and sitting down in what appears to be a driver's seat.
Scutty Could Be a Sign of Judas' Sizable World
Ken Levine hasn't necessarily been cryptic about the size of Judas' world. In a recent interview with IGN, he confirmed that the game isn't fully open world, but that "When you look out the windows, and you see different districts out the window, when you actually traverse the surface of the ship, those are all real and those are places you can go to." In that case, Judas' map design would be similar to The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, which allows players to explore any area they can see. Still, that doesn't provide much information about the size of Judas' world. Scutty, on the other hand, absolutely does.
Firstly, Scutty is a very large robotic dog. Its size alone implies a big world, even if it's not necessarily large in terms of map size. That being said, a world large enough for Scutty would presumably also cover a lot of square footage, so Judas' map may be fairly extensive, albeit not an open world. Secondly, the very fact that Scutty is necessary suggests Judas' world will be extensive. Levine has confirmed that the Mayflower will be composed of various districts and that each district is essentially its own fully explorable world. All of this serves to affirm the notion that Scutty could very well be a game-changer, as Levine's past games have been sizable, but not necessarily to the extent that Scutty's presence implies for Judas.
Even if Scutty's presence isn't a sign of Judas' map size, it will at least give players an adorable dog-like companion that they can hopefully experience some sort of respite with. At the very least, Scutty is just another piece of evidence that suggests Judas will be unlike anything Levine has created before.
BioShock
2K Games' BioShock franchise instantly grabbed the player's attention when it began in 2007 by taking them on a memorable trip down to Rapture. The first two games took place in the iconic underwater city, while the third took players up to the gorgeous flying city of Columbia.
The critically-acclaimed FPS franchise is considered a spiritual successor to the System Shock series.
